Digital Reporter
Robert A. Vergara Jr.
Sterling Paper Group of Companies (SPGC), a conglomerate known for its paper products, recently acquired the country鈥檚 first artificial intelligence鈥憄owered chatbot startup ChatbotPH for an undisclosed amount.
According to Ron Baetiong, founder and CEO of ChatbotPH, the deal was SPGC鈥檚 way of 鈥渋nvesting in the future鈥 and protecting the conglomerate鈥檚 call center operations from the harm that artificial intelligence, or AI, might bring to its business. Tucked under SPGC鈥檚 belt is Sterling Global Call Center, an outsource contact service provider servicing local and foreign clients.
鈥淭hey (Sterling) knew that AI was a threat to the call center [industry], so rather than getting hit by the wave, they took the opportunity to invest in the future and mitigate the risk brought by AI to the BPO industry,鈥 Baetiong told聽SparkUp聽in an email.
Meanwhile, ChatbotPH, launched in January 2017, is the country鈥檚 first AI鈥慹nabled startup. It creates, maintains, and trains chatbots for local businesses. (Read more about that聽.)
Artificial intelligence (AI) has long been considered as a threat to some companies and workers in the BPO industry. The anticipated rise of AI鈥憄owered computer programs and 鈥渃hatbots鈥 are feared to dispatch more than a million Filipinos in the country鈥檚 鈧25鈥慴illion BPO industry.
Despite the deal, Baetiong said the startup鈥檚 current management still have a hold in the company.
鈥淲e still get to operate like a startup and we have autonomy over our vision or operations,鈥 he said. 鈥淭he only thing that’s different now is that we have a lot of resources that we can use compared to how we were operation last year.鈥
In a statement, SPGC chairman Henry Lim Bon Liong said ChatbotPH was the third company it has acquired in six months.
鈥淲e believe that Chatbot.ph is really the future of how technology can further enhance and improve customer service of businesses and also allow easier and faster access of information to the users,鈥 Bon Liong said.
